5 ways to scaffold an activity for your child with autism reminds us that our number one priority should be to make our children successful. This could be an activity at home, school, church or with the family. Every activity should be approached with the understanding that it has to be modified to the child’s ability. This should be the case whether or not your child has autism. Children will rise to your expectations if they believe in the depths of their soul that you want them to be successful.

Scaffolding an activity merely means that you break an activity down into more manageable chunks that the child can navigate successfully. At church this meant pairing Logan up with Emma to help him write the answers on his paper. At home it meant that I asked him to put away the silverware by handing it to him as well as opening the drawer where it lived. You presume competence but also realize that modifications are inevitable.

5 Ways To Scaffold An Activity For Your Child With Autism

Know your child’s zone of proximal development. You can’t scaffold an activity without this information. I would never have Logan play a game designed for ages 8+ if he was developmentally age 6. That would set him up for failure from the beginning.

Break the activity into steps for your child. If I want Logan to help me with dinner, I give him one task at a time. First, get the potato peeler. Second, tell him the number of potatoes he needs.. You can see that I don’t just tell him to peel potatoes for dinner. Once he achieved some developmental gains I was able to be less specific.

Always end the interaction successfully. This means ending a game early if you think your child has reached his limit. It can mean pretending to have a headache to leave the family get together early without drawing attention to the fact that your child can’t handle any more.

Do activities that are just one level above your child’s current level. If Logan is working at a first grade level then I would do an activity that was second grade but be there to help him. Does your child hate coloring? Outline the picture so it’s easier to color or buy bigger crayons. Can’t do puzzles yet? Buy some preschool ones .

Let your child socialize with other children at his developmental level . For us this meant going to story time at the library when he was 8 so he could sit with the toddlers. It meant still going to the children’s museum when he should be too old. It was easier to do since his little sister was 5 years younger so it looked like he was taggin along. If we didn’t have her then we went anyway. I stayed close by so I could intervene if necessary.

Scaffolding becomes second nature to you the more you do it. All these years later, I do it without even thinking about it. There will be loud music at youth? Send earplugs with Logan so he doesn’t get overwhelmed. People coming over for game night. Pick a game that I know he likes to play . Scaffolding isn’t hard once you get the hang of it. It will make a world of difference in your child’s life.

10 ways to get your child with autism to sit still for homeschool. We’ve already discussed that learning can happen anywhere. Sometimes though you need your child to sit still as well as pay attention in order to get a lesson done. This is true of typical kids too. Madison can be just as much work as Logan when it comes to not bouncing around all the time. I employ all these tactics with her when I need her to sit long enough to do a lesson.

Most likely you have a kinesthetic learner. It seems to be the nature of the autism beast. Highly visual , short, hands on lessons will be best. Most learning will take place during activities not on worksheets. There are times when you need the child to sit and do something so it behooves you to take their sensory needs in to account first. Once their sensory needs are met, their brain can focus on the task at hand. Think of it as their brains are firing all the neurons at once so it’s hard for them to focus on any one thing. By meeting their sensory needs, you stop the brain from firing all at once making learning easier.

10 Ways To Get Your Child With Autism To Sit Still For Homeschool

Send him outside to jump on the trampoline , swing or run for a few minutes

I might mention that when we first started homeschooling Logan, we did not require him to sit for more than a few minutes at a time. When I saw his frustration levels rise, we were done regardless of whether the lesson was finished or not. We would come back to the lesson later when we were able. We took the same approach for Madison. Part of this was to build the master/apprentice relationship upon which trust was essential. I needed him to trust that I would push him just past his zone of proximal development but not so far that he would be unsuccesful.

Eye contact is hard for our kids with autism. I let Logan look at a book or color or stim with his pen if necessary. Madison colors at the coffee table , does her handicraft or dresses her babies while I do the lesson. As long as they can successfully do what I ask of them after the directions were told one time, then I don’t care what they do while listening to me. I don’t repeat the directions. Part of this method is to train them to listen efficiently the first time. Since Logan has auditory processing delays, I simply slow the directions way down in addition to giving him ample time to answer. I never repeat them.

That’s the beauty of homeschooling. You can take as many sensory breaks as you need. Eventually both kids became able to sit for longer periods of time so the sensory breaks lessened. Part of it for Logan was his needs decreased as they were consistently met so the brain made new connections. Part of it for both of them was that they trusted me to stop and give a break when needed. They were willing to try and stick it out to the end. Don’t underestimate this trust factor. Once established it will take you a long way in your homeschool journey with your child.

What ways have you discovered to get your child to sit still for homeschool?

Where they learn is unimportant in homeschooling is a gentle reminder that learning can take place anywhere. One of the hang ups of public school is that children sit at a desk for long periods. As any parent of a child with special needs like autism or ADHD knows , that is all but impossible for our kids. Sometimes , especially if we are trying to replicate school at home, we get so wrapped up in making it look good that we forget to do what’s good for our children. It can be difficult to let go of the perfect image in our heads.

The goal of any homeschool should be to teach the love of learning. They will not know all the answers but they should know how to find out. You may or may not be preparing the child for college. Either way, the end goal is to help the child learn, at minimum, a few things on his own. I generally give all the children free reign to do their independent lessons wherever they choose in or outside the house. I keep myself available to them for help if they need it but generally those are the lessons that are done on their own. They then return their work to their boxes for me to check . It keeps them moving in their lessons while also giving me accountability to look over their work . Mistakes are corrected at that moment not hours later.

Logan likes to do his physical therapy while reading one of his many assigned books. He gets books for just about every subject. There is no shortage of something that needs reading. This is due to him being a strong reader. Therefore it is a subject that I can let him do independently. Comprehension is easily checked by narration which can be done on the treadmill as well. I say if he can walk on the treadmill and read, more power to him. I personally couldn’t do it . I would fall off for sure. This combines a subject he doesn’t like with one he really likes. Sort of makes eating the frog easier in his case. It is certainly unconventional no matter how you look at it. He would not be able to do this while sitting in a classroom. Yet another fantastic example of adapting homeschool to his needs rather than trying to make him fit into the preconceived mold.

I don’t know how to describe Madison. She can often be found hanging upside down from something. This is her backwards in the recliner doing her math. Yes, backwards. She often does her table work practicing her releves from ballet. I say if it gets the work done then I don’t care how she sits in the chair or what she practices at the table.

Same goes for read a loud time or other together lessons. If she wants to hang upside down while I read or we listen to an audio book then that is her choice. I do give her things to keep her still like drawing or a handicraft but she can be in any position that she wants. An indoor trampoline or exercise ball would help during lessons as well to give her a way to move around while learning. The amazing part is that she is not my child with autism. He is the one walking on the treadmill while reading. Anyway, don’t think that you can’t do a lesson because your child won’t or can’t be still. There are always ways to work around it.

There are days that we have to tote our work along to therapy appointments. If you have a child with any sort of special needs then you have therapy. Some days it feels like all you do is go from one therapy to the next. This week alone, Madison toted her read a loud and Bible work to hippotherapy. We’ve been known to break out the art set to do picture narration in the middle of the waiting room at physical therapy or do our recitations in the parking lot. Bring what needs to be done and do it while you wait. It helps to pass the time quicker while either waiting for your turn or while waiting for the sibling to come out. Now, I do tend to have Madison bring something that she will need minimal assistance from me. The reasoning behind this is I like to watch what they are working on with Logan. This way , we can work on it at home as well for our home therapy program. If I am unsure of what they are doing, I’d rather ask while they are doing it than later. Therapists love me. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.

Lessons can be completed anywhere. Yes, there are times when you need them to sit and listen. Many times the where simply doesn’t matter. All that matters is that it gets done in a timely manner. Don’t get so boxed into the model of children sitting primly around the table doing lessons that you frustrate yourself. You’ll be amazed at how much more your child can learn by letting them move around. Open up to the possibility that lessons can be done in a variety of places along with a variety of ways! Add fun back into your homeschool by being flexible as well as creative in your approach.

3 easy ways to create a happy home. The dark side of autism can overwhelm your family if you allow it. You have to make creating a happy home a priority for your family.Everyone wants to come home to a happy place. We have a responsibility to ourselves and our family to create a home where everyone feels safe and loved. A nurturing home, where we feel respected and appreciated by our loved ones, makes every aspect of our lives easier and happier. Who wouldn’t want to come home to a happy home to at the end of a long day?

3 Easy Ways To Create A Happy Home

Give your family transition time. It’s nice to be greeted at the door with a hug and a kiss, but afterwards, most people usually need a little bit of time to unwind from work , school or therapy appointments. It takes time to transition their minds to being home with family. We all need a few minutes to switch gears. Make it as easy and stress-free as possible for your family.Maybe just 5-10 minutes of quiet time to catch their breath and change their clothes is all they need. Then they are in a better place, mentally, to sit down and truly enjoy family time.

Make down time a requirement. Our lives are chaotic and stressful, which impacts everyone’s overall health and well-being. Time to relax tends to be thought of as a luxury. But it really needs to be a priority that should be planned into everyone’s day. It is important that everyone enjoy a little downtime, either individually or as a family.

Arts and crafts

Cooking or baking

Sports or outdoor activities

Watching movies

Reading

Figure out what your family really enjoys doing to relax and plan some time to do it together. The key here is to find something that your child with autism likes to do and feels competent. Now is not the time to teach a new skill or play a new game. Now is the time to use things that have previously worked with your child.

Laugh. Doctors agree that laughter is one of the best ways to relieve stress. Surprisingly, it also helps to prevent illness. And it’s a great way to connect with your family. Families who laugh together build a stronger connection and bond to each other. Laughter is a sure sign of a happy home.

Share memories of fun vacations, tell kids about some of the silly things they did as babies, or ask your family to share some of the funny moments of their day. Do not make it compulsory for your child to participate . As they want to be with you , they will participate more and more.

Home is where our heart is. Create a place where your family feels free and comfortable to be who they are; a place they can relax, and a place they can laugh together. Create an atmosphere of acceptance , no matter what the idiosyncrasy. Your home will certainly be a happy place because in the end we all just want to be loved.

Incorporating adaptive technology into your home school is a phenomenal way to help your child learn without getting bogged down. Sometimes our children with autism can’t do certain things physically . We are working on those weaknesses. Do we stop teaching them just because they can’t physically do it? Sometimes the answer is yes. More often, the answer is no. We just need to make some modifications just like they would do in public schools.

Writing is excruciatingly hard for Logan. His hand strength is poor. He gets tired which makes him frustrated beyond measure. We could do one of two things here. Figure out a way to get him to write whether or not he likes it. Let him type out his assignments. I would much rather make him successful by doing the latter. Now, he does keep on working on his fine motor skills and hand strength. In the meantime, he can build up confidence by using his laptop. The adaptive technology I use in this instance is the laptop. In the early years when his hand strength was too weak as well as his processing, I simply had him dictate to me what he wanted to write. If it had continued to be weak then I would have invested in a talk to type program like Dragon Speak.

My children have copy work which contributes to spelling as well as handwriting. This is done by hand with a pencil or pen in Logan’s case. He likes that the pen writes darker making it easier for him to follow. He likes the feel of the pen in his hand as opposed to the pencil. The adaptive equipment here is the pen. I allow him to use it rather than a pencil. He still has to write it. The instrument he chooses to write with is based on what makes him more comfortable. He does this so that he can continue to practice writing while using his laptop for other assignments.

Is your child non verbal? While you are working on his speech, why not get an iPad or other electronic device for with an augmentative and alternative communication app? You aren’t giving up on working with your child on speech . You are however making him feel less frustrated . You are using the iPad or other electronic device to work on his ability to articulate his needs, feelings or wants. If you simply waited until he started talking, valuable time will be lost. Everyone will be frustrated as well beyond measure. Extreme frustration leads to behavior problems which no one wants in their homeschool. When Logan is acting the fool, the first thing I look for is frustration with a task.

You simply can’t stop working towards a better quality of life because your child needs modifications. You must think out of the box to make it work. It can be hard to find what works. I guarantee it will be beneficial for both you and your child to put in the work to be successful. You can move on to higher level thinking while continuing to shore up weaknesses. One day it will all fit together. You will be grateful to have adapted and pressed on.

What adaptive technology have you used in your home school?

I don’t know about anyone else that homeschools but we needed to make the drastic move of accountability here in The Rogers Academy. I spent so much time lamenting how our lessons just never seemed to get done. I plan out these fantastic semesters then end up feeling defeated because we never finish them. It’s not that the lessons are too long or too hard. It’s a character issue of poor work ethic. Autism doesn’t negate the immeasurable job of molding their character.

In our case, we instituted Dad as Principal. I called an emergency family meeting where I vented my frustration about our inability to finish our work. Before either child had the chance to throw me under the bus, I admitted my own faults as well. Alas, that was a bitter pill to swallow. Showing humility in front of your children is a necessary evil in life. If you happen to be a single parent then make it someone who you feel comfortable holding you accountable. Someone you trust that not only knows your family situation intimately but knows what your child with autism is capable of doing. Do not pick someone who has no desire to see you succeed or will expect too much out of your child developmentally. You and that person have to be on the same page at all times. Call timely meetings in order to share accoutability.

After listening to the many excuses that spewed out of by the children, Dad announced some shocking changes. In all honesty, I was not shocked. We had already discussed what the changes would be during our 5 mile run earlier in the day. Don’t tell that to the children. Lunchtime on Mondays, we will present to Principal Dad last week’s plans, completed or not. If not completed, then a reason must be given. Principal Dad reserves the right to determine the consequences if appropriate. Consequences will range from loss of electronics to missing a field trip to catch up on work. Some weeks will have valid reasons for not finishing although some will need correction.

Everyone needs accountability from someone else. The reasons for not finishing the lessons have nothing to do with modifications or the inability to do the work. It is a lack of motivation. It’s a typical problem in homeschools. Autism doesn’t make the typical problems disappear. You may have to be more creative in how you handle them is all. We all work so much more efficiently knowing that we have to account for ourselves on Monday. Just like every project needs a manager, every homeschool needs a principal.

How do you handle accountability in your homeschool?

Flexible thinking is hard for children with autism. You have to incorporate activities to help build flexible thinking in children with autism. This has to be an essential part of your at home occupational therapy or just activities that you can add into your homeschool day. Flexible thinking allows your child to be able to react to small changes in their environments with minimal stress. Working on this skill allows for a better quality of life for everyone which makes for a better family atmosphere.

Children with autism don’t like change. Change makes them feel out of control as well as incompetent. It could be a little change like mom got a new haircut. It could be a big one as in Mom bought a new car or changed the bedroom around. It’s not that they don’t like these changes . It is simply too much for them to deal with so meltdowns ensue over seemingly trivial things. Imagine if you were having trouble navigating the world as it kept changing. Teaching Logan to roll with the punches so to speak makes him more comfortable with his surroundings and interactions which makes him want to try new things.

The caveat to this is that you have to start slow. For some children, these activities can be brutally hard. As your child begins the process , there will a lot of self talk by you. “We are going to have carrots or peas for dinner.” This allows them to know the choices but have the uncertainty of which one until dinner. If having a different brand of chips is upsetting then try just one. Just like with every other interaction with your child with autism, you want to end it on a successful note. Progress may be excruciatingly slow . Slow progress is still progress. You want to push them just past their comfort zone but not so far that they completely shut down. Don’t attempt to do all of them at once or change everything in your child’s life in one day.

One day, Logan’s occupational therapist decided to play Battleship with Logan for part of the time. There was only about 5 to 10 minutes left of the session. Logan quickly put his ships on and they began to play. After several turns, Mrs. Amy announced that it was time to go. Logan looked at her perplexed and this encounter ensued.

Logan: We still have ships left.

Mrs. Amy: It’s time to go but since you sank one of my ships already then you win.

Logan: Sighs and says OK, let me help put it up.

This from a kid that just a year ago, we steered away from anything competitive because he simply couldn’t handle it. Yes, it probably would have been different if he was losing. I’ll take any accomplishment in any form. He was able to handle an unexpected change of events and regulate himself even though he was disappointed.

Nothing is ever easy in autism. I am not promising that these activities will be either. What I am promising is that by taking the time to do them, you will exponentially increase the quality of life for not only your child but your family as well. By being able to exhibit flexible thinking , your child will be far less likely to exhibit aggression or have a meltdown over the unknown. This fact is enough to make me work on this trait diligently as Logan grows into adulthood.

Registering your son with autism for selective service may feel a bit surreal to do on his 18th birthday. After all, you may be looking at a lifetime of care for your child. He may be non verbal or pretty severe in terms of his autism level. You know there is no way he could ever serve in the military should a draft occur so you wonder if this step is necessary. Indeed it is if you want to get any sort of government assistance like SSI or Medicaid for your child. Let’s walk through this step by step to alleviate your fears.

“With very few exceptions, all males between ages 18 and 25 must register with the Selective Service System (SSS) within 30 days of arriving in the United States. This includes U.S. born and naturalized citizens, parolees, undocumented immigrants, legal permanent residents, asylum seekers, refugees, and all males with visas of any kind which expired more than 30 days ago. The few individuals who are exempt from this requirement are those on current non-immigrant visas.”

By making every man age 18 – 26 register for the draft, it makes it fair and equitable to everyone. What is does not do is sign your child up for the military or give his name to military recruiters. It is simply put in the system for use in the unlikely event of a draft. For the record, there has not been a draft in the United States since 1973 when all the armed forces went to an all volunteer enlistment.

What about my son with autism?

The Selective Service website is very clear on this matter. Under the heading “Men With Disabilities“. it states :

“Men who have a disability and who live at home must register with Selective Service if they can reasonably leave their homes and move about independently. A friend or relative may help a disabled man fill out the registration form if he can’t do it himself.

These men with disabilities that would disqualify them from military service still must register with Selective Service. Selective Service does not presently have authority to classify men, so even men with obvious handicaps must register, and if needed, classifications would be determined later.”

If your son with autism isn’t bed bound then he is required to register plain and simple. Selective Service isn’t the draft but a way to implement a draft should one be needed. There is no system in place with Selective Service for them to classify who needs to register and who doesn’t. Your son may be called in the unlikely event of a draft but would still need to pass a military physical as well as mental tests. Men with autism , even high functioning or level one men, are not going to be able to pass the cognitive tests. You can also file exemptions at that time showing your child has autism therefore making him ineligible to serve in the armed forces. None of these scenarios can happen before your son is called into the draft.

What happens if I don’t register my son with autism for Selective Service?

This answer is pretty clear as well as severe. Your son gets until age 26 to register. After that the door is closed, so to speak, making your son ineligible for

financial aid from colleges

Workforce assistance

SSI as well as most government programs

If your child is not already a US citizen , not registering before age 26 will take that option away permanently.

If that wasn’t enough to make you want to register him, finding out that it’s a felony punishable by up to a $250,000 fine in addition to up to 5 years in prison.

How do I register my son for Selective Service?

In the grand scheme of things, registering for Selective Service will not affect your child in any way. IF a draft should occur (that’s a big IF by the way), there are protocols in place to keep people with disabilities from serving in the military. Not registering will have far more repercussions than registering. We lived in one of the states who automatically registered Logan when he turned 18 because he had an identification card. After careful research , I am not concerned that he would be enlisted. Do what is required to keep your son eligible for programs he may need in the future.

Free lace flowers printable for fine motor work in autism shows you a a great way to work on fine motor skills in children with autism by using lacing activities. It’s an excellent activity to add to your occupational schedule.Fine motor is crucial for skills like handwriting , shoe tying or even being able to eat using a fork or other utensil. As you can see, fine motor skills not only help with academics but with quality of life issues as well. Fine motor is an absolute must skill to work on a regular basis with most children with autism.

Lacing activities are easy to do in the car or waiting for appointments. I print them on card stock to make them a bit sturdier then buy cheap shoelaces at the Dollar Tree. Throw them in a Ziploc bag and you have a built in activity for traveling if you keep them in the car. If you were to ask to see what’s inside my purse at any given time, you would most likely see a set of lacing cards stashed in there. Logan will mindlessly do lacing cards while watching tv or while traveling down the road. He doesn’t really need to do them anymore but they have sort of become a calming technique for him.

When people ask why we home school our child with autism , it is always a loaded question. It’s hard to know how to answer because there are many reasons. You don’t want to list them all in fear of making the person’s eyes glaze over. Just like every decision you make in deciding treatments for your child with autism, you weigh the pros and cons then do what you believe is best.

The Journey that Led Us to Homeschooling

For us, it was a slow decline in services at the local public school that led us to homeschool Logan. We had moved during Logan’s kindergarten year but drove him to his developmental primary class in our previous town for the rest of the year. We loved not only his special ed teacher but his mainstream kindergarten teacher as well. It was a fabulous year for Logan, who continued making great progress. For first grade we decided that, since he would change teachers anyway, it would be a good time to move him to the school in our neighborhood.

Problems began right away. Two weeks into the school year, we still hadn’t received his IEP. I graciously brought my copy in for them to make a copy for his teacher and the special education coordinator. As I ran into the coordinator in the hallway, she remarked how Logan was the first child with autism to attend that school. She was surprised that he was completely mainstreamed into a regular classroom as she didn’t think that was possible for “those children.” I was flabbergasted by her words and mortified by the thought that she had no experience with autism. Red flags went up all around.

First grade was a stressful year, only tempered by the fact that Logan had an amazing teacher in Mrs. Morris. Had she not been there, we would have bailed much sooner. I was in the office at least three times a week reminding them of Logan’s IEP and services. When it was announced that Mrs. Morris would be moving with the class to 2nd grade, we made the decision to let Logan stay. It would prove to be a ill-informed decision on our behalf.

Beginning Homeschooling

We only made it to March of Logan’s second grade year before we pulled him out to regroup. So much damage had been done to his little psyche that we would need to take two years off from academics in order to rectify the damage. I was at the school daily reminding them of his IEP for his “reading” teacher or the special education coordinator. It was the latter’s remark to my husband about Logan needing to look at her when she talked that put the final nail in the public school coffin. We also began to pursue RDI full time at this point. Without a school schedule, we were able to do therapy on a schedule that worked well for us. Logan responded to it so much better without the added stress of having to keep it together for school added into the mix.

As we began RDI , we realized that Logan might be chronologically in second grade but he was at the same developmental level as his toddler sister. This was a hard pill to swallow. Home school allowed us to work with him where he was developmentally to fill in the gaps needed. It afforded us the grace to let him go to storytime at the library with his sister, play at the park with the other toddlers, or have playdates that could end successfully.

After restarting academics with him, it became apparent that Logan was on many different levels. He was a math whiz who loved to read. Writing and other fine motor skills were non existent . They were so hard for him. The beauty of homeschooling was that we were able to pick the different levels to make a curriculum that worked for him and only him. It was designed by us with his strengths and weaknesses in mind (to stretch him just beyond his comfort zone to learn but not so far that it made him shut down). To say he flourished would be an understatement. He was confident as well as trusting enough to know that we had his best interests at heart. He became a willing participant in his education.

Looking Back on the Benefits of Homeschooling

Homeschooling allows him the freedom to follow his interests and decide what he wants to do as a career. We have a phenomenal relationship with each other. I cherish that bond we have, along with the many memories of our field trips . Our time spent together has not always been easy. Homeschool is not always rainbows and unicorns. On those days, you always have to look ahead the end result.

As we start his senior year, I can honestly say that homeschooling was the best decision we ever made for Logan. It was exactly what he needed to make all the other therapies work better for him. Would he have achieved a non-autism diagnosis without homeschool? In my opinion, no. It was also the hardest thing I have ever had to do in my life. Homeschooling your child with autism doesn’t allow you the respite that public school offers. You are around your child 24/7/365. This can be intense, to say the least. You must put a plan into action to have someone give you a break at times or you will burn out fast. Without a doubt, it was the most rewarding thing I have ever done as a mom. I will forever cherish those times as well as my close relationship with Logan. We would never have been able to experience life together if he was in school. All the tears, heartache , and late nights were completely worth it.

Forget about grade levels when homeschooling a child with autism. Church is the only place where we assign an actual grade level for the children. For Madison , our typical child, we looked at her actual age then placed her in the corresponding grade level. For Logan, our child with autism, we looked at his developmental age then placed him in the corresponding group regardless of his physical age. It was far more important that he be where he was socially rather than anything else.

The same applies to picking out a curriculum for your homeschool. You have to look at each subject individually then place the child at the level they are at regardless of where they are ” supposed” to be. The key here is to find their comfort zone then push them a bit past it. It’s called working in their zone of proximal development. The tedious part will be finding it for every subject you teach in your homeschool.

Don’t be discouraged if your child is all over the place. Due to limitations in areas, there will be discrepancies. That’s fancy words for no subject will be alike. Logan is extremely advanced in reading, math, science and history. He is doing advanced work well above grade level in these areas. On the other hand, he’s severely behind in writing and language. Anything that involves fine motor skills as well as motor planning are difficult for him. Behind as in doing the same work as his sister who is in 4 years younger than him. Anything that involves writing for long periods makes him feel inadequate. It is clearly difficult for him so we make modifications using adaptive technology in addition to teaching at the correct level.

I can’t focus on his inability to write a complete report even though he is about to start high school. I will lose valuable time doing anything other than pushing him slightly out of his zone then allowing him to step back in it. I can’t look at what other children are doing. I must maintain my focus on him and him alone. I have to put blinders on so to speak to keep my laser focus.

Take time this week to check out the subjects you are teaching. Check to see if you have your child at his actual level or his grade level. Don’t worry if he’s behind. By working at his level , you will help him to learn it and catch up with his peers faster with less grief for everyone. More smiles and less tears. Who doesn’t want that in their homeschool?

Autism at any age can be challenging. When you are a teenager or parent of a teenager it is very challenging because hormones are involved, the desire to fit in is involved and so much more. There is hope for helping your teenager with autism thrive in her surroundings. With an open mind and heart please consider this seven tips for helping your teenager with autism thrive in everyday settings.

7 Tips For Helping Your Teenager With Autism Thrive

Always have non verbal ways for your teenager to communicate with directly with you and others (family and friends) no matter what. This provides another added layer of comfort to them as well as you. This is needed for every teenager but especially your teenager. This form of nonverbal communication should grow over time and it is up to you to make sure it grows. Teach them more of the unique communication gradually and ensure you both understand it. Both children have smartphones that they use to text me when they need help or have a question they don’t know how to ask. It’s a great way to keep the lines of communication open.

Be consistent especially from setting to setting. Even teenagers with autism need consistency. Keep everything you can as consistent as possible especially their schedules. This allows them to function at their highest and best. Also, be constant in your expectations and rewards to them as well. Make sure they know what those are in advance. No one likes surprises ,especially in autism.

Continue to reward good behavior when you see them doing it on their own. Remember everyone likes to be rewarded for the good that they do. Reward your teenager and celebrate their goodness. This positive reinforcement goes a long way. You do not have to be fancy with rewards. Keep it simple and consistent especially when they learn a new skill or complete a chore consistently.

Give them their own “safety zone” within the home. This is extremely important. It can be their bedroom and/or a special space in the family room however make sure it is theirs alone and special to them. Think a private escape or added comfort zone to take a break when needed. Now would also be a great time to redo their bedroom to reflect a new stage in their life. To this day, we host holiday celebrations in our home so Logan has somewhere to retreat when he’s done peopling. If you must go somewhere else, make sure there is a safe zone that your child knows about.

Read Freaks, Geeks and Asperger Syndrome: A User Guide to Adolescence, written by Luke Jackson. This book is great reading and helps you both get it right. Although I do not like the title this book can and will become your guide through the teenage years. Loaded with humor you must read it to help your teenager thrive without recreating the wheel.

Look into a social skills group for especially for teenagers with autism. This can be priceless to them interacting with their peers. It may be as simple as having them join a group with a common interest. The key to this one is that it must be an in person event. Don’t be fooled into thinking they are working on social skills while online.

Update their life plan to include hygiene and the new demands of high school. This is a must and should actually be updated for elementary school, middle school and high school. This allows you to stay ahead of the curve of physical body changes as well as expectations inside and outside of the home. It also reminds you to teach about things like shaving or menstruation before it becomes a necessity.

Parenting has never been easy.The fact that you’re reading this article tells me that you are on top of things and ready to help your teenager with autism thrive. I truly admire that in you. Enjoy the teenage years . They will be adults before you know it.

My son was diagnosed with autism about 8 years ago at age 3. Ever since then, my wife and I have looked at all options to help him become the best version of himself possible. In addition to traditional therapies, we look at autism through a holistic lens. One of our newest protocols for autism treatment is using the Ion Cleanse for detox. Diet is a huge focus for our family, but we also have a major emphasis on detoxification. The Ion Cleanse is a tool that stimulates detoxification in a safe, gentle way.

Learning About the Ion Cleanse For Detox In Autism

Before I tell you about the Ion Cleanse, I’d like to first talk about why we need to focus on detox for my son. We work very closely with his doctor in this area. Lab testing has shown us that our son has a pretty big toxic load. His blood & hair revealed fairly high amount of heavy metals like lead & mercury in addition to other such as barium. These toxins clearly affect the body’s ability to function optimally, so we need to get rid of them.

In the past, we’ve tried traditional ways of detoxification through chelation and other detox supplements. These methods turned out to be too harsh for my son’s fragile system to handle. Again, we work closely with his doctor every step of the way, so we’re able to make sure he stays safe. Luckily, the Ion Cleanse system sort of fell right in our laps.

The Ion Cleanse for Detox: What is It?

“The IonCleanse by AMD is a unique total body detox that uses biocompatible electrical frequencies with the healing power of ions – the same kind of beneficial ions that make you feel so wonderful walking along the beach or near a waterfall. The IonCleanse by AMD is the safest and most effective way to cleanse and purify the body.”

Still Confused on What it Is?

Simply put, the Ion Cleanse is a really fancy footbath that sends a specific electrical frequency through the water to stimulate detoxification. It uses the electrolysis of water to create both positively and negatively charged ions. Opposites attract, so the negatively charged ions will attract and neutralize positively charged toxins in the body. Positively charged ions will attract and neutralize negatively charged toxins. According to AMD, “neutralized particles will be pulled from the body through osmosis. The toxins will be harmlessly pulled from the cells and will come out in the water through the feet.”

SAY WHAT!?!

I know this sounds a little “woowoo”. I still can’t get my brain wrapped around that last part either. The idea that toxins come out of our cells and get pulled through the pores in our feet just seems too out there for even me. However, the company has published test results revealing different toxins in the water after a footbath. Additionally, everyone’s water seems to look different. 3 people can do a footbath using the same water, and the resulting water will look different for all 3. Nevertheless, I still can’t really get my brain wrapped around it, which means I personally have trouble believing toxins come out through our feet.

I believe that the Ion Cleanse is a valuable tool for autism treatment and detoxification support. However, to be honest, we have not seen major changes just yet. We’ve had minimal improvements in ATEC scores, handwriting, and language. However, we have observed improvements in behavior. He appears to be calmer, more aware, and his anxiety is lower too. While there’s not really a scientific measure for this, our opinion is that he is mentally more stable.

Other Observations:

Shortly after we started using the Ion Cleanse for autism, my son began doing an odd thing with his arms. For the first month or so, he would rub the inner part of his elbow repeatedly for a minute or so. This happened at least once an hour. It was so often that the inside of his elbows & forearms had a rash or red mark on it from the rubbing. Also, he began flicking his arms out. It almost looked like he was trying to pop his elbow if that makes sense.

My guess is the inside of his arm happens to be the place where he has some toxins stored in his body and they are now mobilized which may be causing pain, itching, or some other type of sensation that we just cannot determine because he can’t tell us how it feels. However, that is simply a guess. This behavior actually started more aggressively with biting of his arm, which transitioned to scratching. Luckily, the uncomfortable part seems to be gone, but it is still something we keep an eye on.

Today, now 6 months later, it doesn’t seem to bother him anymore, but we do notice redness coming and going on his elbows. Specifically, during his footbath, both elbows turn red while his feet are in the water. I should mention that this is an atypical detox reaction even for the Ion Cleanse. I’ve asked around in an Ion Cleanse Facebook group and no one else has seen this. Most see traditional symptoms & detox reactions, but no on saw it specifically localized on the elbows.

Ion Cleanse for Detox: Challenges (TMI Warning)

Get The Poo OUT!!!

I think one of the reasons we are not seeing big changes is because my son is not moving his bowels regularly enough. If he is not pooping regularly, then the body can reabsorb any toxins that were mobilized by the Ion Cleanse. He needs to be using the bathroom everyday to get that nastiness out! Many kids on the spectrum struggle with GI issues. Our son has struggled for years with constipation. It has gotten markedly better, but it is not good enough to facilitate a healthy detox process. We have to continue to pay extra attention to this mode of elimination.

We Remain Hopeful

I dismissed the Ion Cleanse for years. Honestly, had we not won Generation Rescue’s 12 Days of Giveaways contest, I’d probably still be dismissing it as a potential treatment. However, after 6 months of use, I am a believer in the Ion Cleanse.

Despite no major improvements during our first 6 months using the Ion Cleanse for Detox, I remain hopeful. I’m confident that the Ion Cleanse is doing something positive for my son. I believe that is it mobilizing stuck toxins in his body and hopefully it is reactivating the detox pathways that were turned off. I have observed enough to warrant continued use of the Ion Cleanse for the foreseeable future. I believe it is helping. We’ll figure out the best way to support his body and help him detoxify more efficiently moving forward.

Luckily, using the Ion Cleanse for detox has not led to any of the negative reactions or regressions we experienced when trying other detoxification methods. He remains at what we call, his “baseline”. With the exception of a hard couple weeks brought on by allergies, he has remained a calmer, less anxious, and overall happier little boy.

Additionally, he has been initiating play more often, which has been awesome. Just a few minutes ago, he asked me to come play with him in our pool. When I say he asked me, I mean in his own special way.

Playtime

“Water, water,” he said to his Mom. Then, he looks at me and says, “Dad-Dad-Dad”. I didn’t realize it in the moment, but he was trying to ask me to go swimming with him. I went out about 10 minutes later, and it made him so happy. Grinning from ear to ear, he ran over and started splashing me. I grabbed him tickled him and we wrestled around a bit. Each time I stopped, he’d take my arms and put them back on him and say “play, play, play”. How could I say no when he was doing such a great job asking? We ended up playing for almost an hour in our tiny, little blow up pool. I look forward to more great moments like these, and I am hopeful that the Ion Cleanse will facilitate even more joy.

A post shared by I'm Simply a Dad (@imsimplyadad) on Apr 10, 2017 at 9:19am PDT

Hi. My name is Dave, and I’M SIMPLY A DAD. Everyday, I focus on raising my kids to have a healthy attitude towards food and life. I teach them the power of real food, and the dangers of pretty packaged foods. But, it wasn’t always like this. I struggled with poor health for decades, but my oldest son’s autism diagnosis started me down an alternative path. It was a path that taught me how to better care for him & his siblings. Not only that, it was a path that showed me how to better care for myself and appreciate the important things in life. Now, I want to teach my fellow parents the tricks I have learned to get my kids eating veggies at every meal. On my blog, I share practical, everyday advice and inspiration that you can use to improve the health and happiness of your own family. I’M SIMPLY A DAD on mission to make the road to better health & healing easier for all families.

How to safely detox chlorine for summer fun with autism. Madison got an above ground pool for her birthday one year just before Logan went to summer camp. Both children enjoyed it immensely. They became extremely comfortable in the water which enabled us to do swimming lessons. We were able to utilize it for some of Logan’s physical therapy exercises. He loved the proprioceptive input but couldn’t detox the chlorine efficiently which caused some unwelcome behaviors.

Ultimately we bought a sand filter plus saltwater pump we learned about at a friend’s house which took care of the problem. Logan loved the saltwater as it didn’t burn his eyes. This was encouraging as it led to him staying in the water longer enabling us to get loads more done plus time to play.

A lot of children with autism have difficulty detoxing harmful items from their bodies. Hence the reason that chelation can be a difficult but necessary treatment for autism. Before you begin any detoxing , you must have proper liver support in place. For Logan this is especially true as he has Wilson’s Disease in addition to autism. That means that his liver is already not working to capacity. So, we must keep his liver support at a maximum level. It’s imperative to have medical supervision before beginning any sort of chelation protocol.

Detoxing chlorine is pretty straightforward. The two supplements that are suggested to safely do this are taurine and epsom salt baths. Logan has been adult size for awhile so we do the adult dosage that is recommended on the bottle. Taurine is also recommended to help decrease anxiety. This particular supplement is on subscribe and save at our house in order to never run out. One thing I don’t want to be is without taurine.

As for the epsom salt baths, it’s the magnesium that does the detoxifying. We happen to have a garden tub with jets that he loves so it’s easy to get him in there. On days we can’t jump in the bath immediately then we use magnesium sulfate cream. We apply it after he gets out of the pool and dries off. It seems to work well for Logan. Our ideal is to take a bath to soak but the cream does the trick in a pinch.

Something else we have done in a pinch is to apply coconut oil all over his body about 30 minutes before he goes in the pool. This helps to block the absorption of the chlorine as he swims. We only need to do this if he’s in a chlorine pool not a saltwater. It also helps to do it that early so it absorbs into the skin before you put sunscreen on later. This is the absolute last ditch effort as he hates to be super greasy. It’s not the ideal by any stretch of the imagination. It’s better than the alternative of doing nothing at all.

A final thing that I implemented with him was the drinking of a great deal of water. It is great for flushing out his system as well. It keeps the intestines moving toxins out of the body regularly. The first place your body searches for water when it gets dehydrated is from the intestines. Hydration is essential to so many things. It is a non negotiable item in our home. I don’t want you to believe that we got him to drink enough water overnight. We worked on getting him to the appropriate amounts over many months. It is not his favorite drink by any stretch but he sees the purpose behind it which enables him to drink it.

Have you seen any odd behaviors after lots of swimming? How do you handle it?

***I am not a doctor nor do I play one on this blog. I merely relate what works for us in our biomedical journey through autism. Please proceed with caution and always under a real doctor’s care.********

It was the best of times. It was the worst of time. When you have a spectrum kid or even a sizzler (see Carol Barnier’s Sizzle Bop site) it is very easy to focus on just the negative side of things. I gave this post two titles in the spirit of Rocky and Bullwinkle who always had two “outlooks” or titles for their vignettes. (Any Rocky and Bullwinkle fans out there??)

But I digress, we went to a birthday party recently and I left lamenting that there was still such a gap between Chuck and others. My Dear Husband commented on the PROGRESS he has seen in our son. It shifted my thinking a bit. How many times do we only look at the gaps, the negatives, how much ground is yet to be covered? So I sat down to look specifically at the party and honestly look at the positives and negatives. It turned out to be a very cathartic exercise that I would recommend it to everyone.

— Chuck (our son) is 16. The birthday boy Billy was 8.

++ Chuck was invited to a birthday party!!!

— “Why would I go to an eight year old’s party???” (Yes that was said…Made me sad.)

++ Chuck helped pick out a GREAT present for Billy and used perspective taking to boot! Chuck would never consider taking apart a lego he had built but he remembered being in Billy’s room and seeing that he didn’t keep his sets together. So he got Billy a 3 in 1 model that he could put together and take apart and then make something new. This showed great perspective taking and flexibility.

— We forgot the present. I told Chuck to take it to the car. He took it to the van because he thought we were going to take two cars. This was at a house where we usually go to church and we typically do take two cars because then Chuck will leave early with parent 1 or parent 2. We were 10 minutes out when I asked if he had the present…. And we had to turn around to go get it. There was not enough flexibility in the tank to recover from that without going back to get the gift.

— It was difficult to see how Chuck did not fit in with the other kids. They did paintball at targets and we had to steer Chuck to get in line. ….but…

++ Chuck didn’t turn the paint gun on anyone else !!! 🙂

++ Chuck discovered another kid who loved Splatoon as much as he did. And they had a conversation about the best paint weapons in the game.

—- It was a stilted conversation and the other kid really didn’t know how to respond. Chuck thought maybe the other boy was just trying to get through the conversation… but…

++ He had a conversation with another boy!! And very little help from mom.

++ Chuck lasted for 3 hours at the party even though his allergies were thru the roof.

++ He ate a piece of real pizza. (I know this is crap food and we are GFCF but at 16 I have decided to play fast and loose a bit with all the diet stuff from time to time so he can fit in. And I encourage additional food choices when he desires them. It works for us. I loved that he “fit in” this way.)

— He spent more time wandering around than actually interacting.

++ BUT.. we didn’t have to trail him 1:1 for the whole time.

++ These people love Chuck. They have offended me from time to time with things they have said but they love Chuck. They love us and they include us. So I try hard to overlook the crazy stuff they sometimes say or do in the name of love. I just thank Jesus for all the progress we have seen in him over the past years.

If you would have told me years ago that Madison would help bring Logan to the point of recovery then I would have told you how crazy you were! I was so overwhelmed at the thought of having a new baby along with a child with autism that I cried a lot. Logan was so much work then as he was still non verbal. He was prone to meltdowns. We were still fighting the School Board about his education. Life was chaotic to say the least.

Then Madison arrived . Logan loved his little baby sister to death. Probably too much. We had to move her crib into our room to keep him out of it. He would “sing” to her, bring her toys, push her in her swing . She was his own personal McDonald’s toy. He couldn’t get enough of her.

The Lord also blessed us at this time with an amazing speech therapy pre- k . He had no choice but to talk after getting intensive speech therapy 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. He probably spoke just so we would leave him alone. Those drives from our house to the school where we would sing along with the radio and read books while waiting for the school doors to open are some of my most cherished memories of those early years

As Madison blossomed so did Logan. He played with her toys and with us more. The best thing that we ever did, besides having Madison, was when we made the decision that I should stay home with the children full time. It was a difficult decision to make but one that was sorely needed. Logan loved having his mom and sister available to him. I got to spend some great time just enjoying Madison. This allowed me to spend better time with Logan. I could use her toys when we played together meeting him at his developmental level easily.

As they have grown, they have become best friends. When Logan was gone to camp, Madison was lost. When one of them spends the night away, the other wants to call them. It is so heartwarming to hear them playing and having fun together. Logan will watch Dr. Who just to have something to talk about with Madison. It’s not a show he would particularly watch on his own but he wants to be with her so much, he seeks out things she loves.

Their relationship takes work on every one’s part, including Michael and I. We have to set up activities for them to do together. We have to make sure that Logan is able to be successful at them as well. We have to check in every now and then to be sure that Madison isn’t overcompensating for his deficits. Her world has always involved autism. She naturally picks up the slack in the relationship. She is so patient and kind with him. She wants him to be successful just as much as Michael and I do. She is his biggest cheerleader.

As they have grown into teenagers, he has consistently remained near or just above her developmental level. I still hear her in the backseat prompting him to answer or explaining a situation to him. She will describe other people’s expectations of him based on their tone of voice. She will gently prod him to pay attention. She will ask him for help with her lessons. When he doesn’t handle a social situation correctly, she will gently rebuke him but lead him on how to do it better next time.

I could not have ever envisioned a better or more patient guide for Logan in my wildest dreams. I encourage other parents all the time to spend valuable time enriching any sibling relationships. These are the people who are as invested in your child with autism as you. By encouraging sibling camaraderie, you will add yet another important tool into your autism arsenal.

About Us

Call me Penny, wife to Michael as well as mom to Logan who has autism and Madison who is pursuing a dance career.
Based on my own personal and often difficult experiences with autism, I hope to educate families of children with autism on how to navigate their world from pre diagnosis to adulthood.